Residents of Aledo, local officials, and Texas Department of Transportation representatives gathered in Aledo Middle School’s cafeteria for a showing of the proposed project. Along with a virtual meeting that was hosted earlier that day playing for residents to watch, TxDOT also brought information posters and maps showing the changes to the .6 mile stretch of road from Maverick Street to FM 5.
The project has two phases. The first would be to widen the currently two-lane street to a four-lane with a curbed grassy median in the middle with left-turn openings. There would also be a shared-use path on both sides of the new road. Phase Two would turn the middle median into two more lanes becoming a six-lane road.
The anticipated timeline of the project is in the public meeting phase, with the beginning of phase one construction beginning late 2027. In-between the rest of 2025 through fall of 2026 the design and environmental clearance will need to be approved, the right of way acquisition of approximately 2.5 acres will begin, with no residential or non-residential properties anticipated to be displaced, the design will be finalized, and utility relocation will happen. This timeline depends on whether is funded seamlessly.
Bethany Kurtz, TxDOT Fort Worth District public information officer, said that TxDOT doesn’t want to rush the process to make sure there are no mistakes.
“We would rather take a little extra time, get it perfect, and not have to come back and do this over again,” she said.
Along with the new lanes, the project would also improve the intersections at Barnwell Lane and FM 5, as well as add a crosswalk in front of the Aledo Early Childhood Academy. Kurtz said that TxDOT has been speaking with the district to work around the school’s schedule like drop-off and pick-up.
“Trying to ease those pinch points as much as we can,” she said. “Then doing everything so that the children who are walking to school or leaving the school on foot can have the safest trip possible.”
At the meeting, TxDOT encouraged residents to submit comments and suggestions about the project, as well as have a conversation with the representatives so that they could get a local perspective on the road.
Kerby Smith, a resident of Aledo, said that it was good to see the plans since he knows it has been a long time in the works, and since the north corridor was finished, the south needs some relief. He said that there are aspects of the plan that are good and some that are not so good.
“I think it’s an important time for Aledo given this is what I would say is the spine of the community for it to be planned well, designed well, executed well, so that we don’t lose the feel that we have today,” Smith said.
He said that while he likes the walkability that the new sidewalks would bring, he’s not excited about the expansion into Phase Two.
“I know it’s a later phase, it’s big picture, it’s long term, but to see a six-lane highway coming through the middle of town, that’s just not something I would be supportive of,” he said. “Probably makes sense from a traffic count standpoint, but that’s a highway.”
Along with the residents, local officials including Aledo Mayor Shane Davis was there to speak to residents as well as ask their own questions. Davis said he is excited about the sidewalks on both sides of the road, and he was happy about the amount of community turnout at the event. He said he knows that the road is the central nervous system of the city.
“We need to make sure it flows, but we also need to make sure it’s safe for us to walk around, for our kids to go up and down,” he said.
Also in attendance was Mike Hale, Parker County Precinct #4 commissioner and Aledo resident. He said that as someone who drives on FM 1187 often and owns a small business in the area, this change has been needed for a long time. He said that he believes it’s a nice project that will help the overall feel of downtown Aledo.
“I’m excited.” Hale said. “At the same time, these growing pains are excruciating at times in dealing with the traffic and traffic flow and the construction. But unfortunately, it’s needed. It’s not like the old two-lane asphalt that we used to have out here, and it would be 100 times worse if it was that.”
While the construction work is focused on FM 1187, residents like Brad Ramos were concerned about how the project would affect their neighborhood. Ramos, being the president of the Brookhollow Homeowners Association located a bit further than the stopping point of the projects, wanted to see how far the sidewalks built would go.
He said after meeting with the mayor he was able to get his questions answered and have a better idea of what the south end of the project will end up looking like.
“We can start to understand what does that look like where TxDOT drops off, how does that affect our neighborhood and Brookhollow going further southbound,” he said.
For updates about the project Kurtz encourages residents to download the NextDoor app and follow TxDOT where she will be sending updates and notifications about the project.
More information and place to submit additional comments can be found on: https://www.txdot.gov/projects/hearings-meetings/fort-worth/2025/fm1187-from-maverick-street-to-fm5-071725.html
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